And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie or denies His verses? Those will attain their portion of the decree1 until, when Our messengers [i.e., angels] come to them to take them in death, they will say, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allāh?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.
يَتَوَفَّوۡنَهُمۡ(to) take them in deathyatawaffawnahum
قَالُوٓاْthey sayqālū
أَيۡنَWhere areayna
مَاthose (whom)mā
كُنتُمۡyou used tokuntum
تَدۡعُونَinvoketadʿūna
مِنfrommin
دُونِbesidesdūni
ٱللَّهِۖAllahl-lahi
قَالُواْThey sayqālū
ضَلُّواْThey strayedḍallū
عَنَّاfrom usʿannā
وَشَهِدُواْand they (will) testifywashahidū
عَلَىٰٓagainstʿalā
أَنفُسِهِمۡthemselvesanfusihim
أَنَّهُمۡthat theyannahum
كَانُواْwerekānū
كَٰفِرِينَdisbelieverskāfirīna
Tafsir
The greatest wrongdoer is the person who: invents a lie about Allah, considering Him to have a partner; or says He is deficient in some way; or says something about Him that He has not said; or rejects His clear signs and verses which guide to the correct way of life. Those who do such things will receive the portion of worldly pleasure that is destined for them in the Preserved Tablet, until the angel of death and his helpers come to them to take their souls, and they are asked: 'Where are the gods you used to worship besides Allah, claiming they would help you? Call on those idols if they can benefit you! The idolaters will say to the angels: 'The gods we used to worship have gone, and that we do not know where they are!' Then they will admit that they were disbelievers, but their admission at that time will be a proof against them and will not benefit them.